Convicted Killer Pleads Not Guilty To Beating Dog With Bat

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The convicted killer accused of beating a dog in Greenwood with a baseball bat before throwing it over a fence pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the pending charges against him.

After entering his plea in Sebastian County Circuit Court, the trial for Arthur Hevel, 42, was set for March 19. Hevel faces charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, terroristic threatening, aggravated assault on a household member and disorderly conduct.

Eyewitnesses of the event said they pleaded with Hevel to not hurt the dog while he was beating it with a baseball bat, and he yelled obscenities at them. Eyewitnesses told police Hevel then picked the dog up by its legs and threw it over the fence into the Sonic parking lot.

Hevel served 10 years in prison after a murder conviction dating back to the 1980s in Oklahoma, according to authorities.

Officers said when they arrived, Hevel immediately raised his hands in a surrender position and admitted to beating the dog. When asked why he killed the dog, Hevel responded, “Because I’m a cold-blooded killer," according to a report released by police.

Officers said they found the dog under a garbage bag in the Sonic parking lot. The dog was still alive but was too severely injured to be saved so they were forced to put it down.

Police reports say Hevel threatened his roommate with the same bat before attacking his dog.